Tag: Stray Kids

Stray Kids are back with their very first comeback since their debut, District 9, in April this year. My Pace is the name of the title track for their second mini-album, I Am Who, which follows in the footsteps of their rap-heavy and hip-hop dominated debut track. In between the promotions for District 9 and My Pace, the group also followed up their debut promotions with Mirror (a single from their first mini-album).

From the very start, the one word that can describe the song very accurately is ‘energetic’. There is no moments in the song that felt it lacked energy or intensity, for that matter. And that makes it a perfect fit for the most active season of the year. Even the start of the song, the rough and deep ‘NaNaNaNa‘ by Changbin really grabs your attention and kicks the song off with a punch. The rapping in this song continues this momentum with the vocals giving a moment of relief from the punches we keep on getting. The chorus was very simple but works extremely well with the rap heavy side of the song. I really like the very heavy-handed approach on the instrumental which basically goes back to that energetic aspect of the song. My most favourite part was the suspense filled launch into the final chorus which just nudged the song along that bit further. Overall, the song was awesome and impactful.

The various scenes that make up the video are stringed together so well that it made the music video feel that much edgier when paired with the song. I liked how the camera shots got up close and personal with the members, giving us different angles that we don’t see so much of today. The uNDerground street racing concept was really good as well, fitting both the song and their image. Not too keen on the random break we got just before the bridge, because that cuts the energy. But other than that, a really good video.

The choreography reminds me of Block B. Maybe because it has that wild side that I do recognise from the senior boy group. And like the song, the performance does pack a punch, leaving us energy depleted (because listening to an energetic track and watching a very active performance is really energy draining!) and wanting more.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 8.5/10
Overall Rating – 8.6/10

Stray Kids have had a pretty successful debut so far with District 9. While there doesn’t seem to be too much competition with other new male groups so far this year, Stray Kids have already made a name for themselves in the overseas market. To keep people talking about them, Stray Kids will be following up with Mirror, which is a track off their debut mini-album, I Am Not.

Mirror seems to follow their previous title tracks with its dance-based songs. Interestingly, this song is less intense than their previous songs and it leans toward a pop sound during the chorus. It is an interesting mix, going back and forth to the EDM. Even more interesting is the fact there was a complete slowdown during the bridge, which my opinion worked nicely. This particular sound does allow for the vocals to be heard and they did flourish. We got a taster in District 9 but it would have been interesting to hear more of the vocals (since their songs are already rap dominating), particularly  on a different canvas. While I understand that this may be a little plain for some people, it proved one thing for me. Despite their deep voices and dance-centred title tracks, versatility might be another aspect to keep an eye out. But going back to Mirror, it was a pretty good song overall.

We don’t really have a music video. Rather, earlier this week, they dropped their ‘performance version’, which serves as the promotional video. I feel that while the video looks like it is in line with their debut and pre-release, they could have added something more to make it interesting. For example, a set change for when we launch into the chorus would have made this video pop more and become more memorable. Despite that though, they did do a great job channelling the tough vibes.

What makes the video interesting is the performance rather than the visuals of the video. I really like the mirroring at the start and how they ended the performance in a similar manner to the start. Their formations looked really cool and it was extremely captivating to watch.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 6.5/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.8/10

This week, JYP Entertainment has welcomed a brand new male group to their line-up, joining 2PM, GOT7 and DAY6. Stray Kids is a 9-member male group was formed from the reality show, Stray Kids. They released Hellevator in October last year a promotional track for the show. In January, the group released a pre-debut album titled Mixtape. Now, the boy group is back with their official debut mini-album, titled as I Am Not and the title track, District 9.

There are no surprises with the way the song turned out for me. If Hellevator and their Mixtape mini-album indicated anything, the group would be putting out a hip-hop/EDM styled song for their debut. District 9 is exactly that and it is quite intense from the very first second. The song seems to refocus on the rappers, with the majority of the song being quite rap-dominate (given how the verses, bridge and some parts of the chorus were raps). The chorus does provide some variety with the vocalists given their chance to shine in the rap-dominated song. What I noticed with this song is that there didn’t seem to be a buildup to the chorus. Instead, we were thrown into the chorus straight after the raps finished up for that part. I am not disappointed with this, however, because it felt flawless and amazing. I am personally not a big fan of the hip-hop side of KPOP but this song, combined with its dance elements, gives this group a huge advantage in the industry at the moment. It is an amazing debut song.

And this huge advantage might already be paying off. Stray Kids have become the group with the highest amount of views within 24 hours of debut. On top of that, they have accumulated more than 11 and a half million views within a span of 3 days. That is amazing, considering they just debuted 3 days ago. The music video shows the members being trapped inside a futuristic prison (that seems to be hidden from the public, like Area 51). The members seem to realize this and find a way out of the prison by crashing through the unseeable barrier and the real world (or what they dub as District 9). Kind of like how it alludes to their debut. It is a great video to watch, pairing well with the intensity of the song. The cinematography is amazing and you can tell the budget is well used with this music video.

The post-chorus sequence was really well done. The performance also went well with the song. They managed to be in sync all throughout the performance, particularly amazing me for the chorus. Their stage presence is quite large and if anything can come out of this performance is that these guys aren’t afraid to give some of the other groups a little competition when it comes to dancing.

Song – 9/10
Music Video – 10/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 9.3/10

Have you seen the winners of the 2017 KPOPREVIEWED Awards yet? If you haven’t, feel free to click here to be transferred to see who won!

Last year, as an introduction to a potential upcoming boy group by JYP Entertainment, Stray Kids unleashed Hellivator. The group then went on to compete to see who would be able to debut later this year, with all nine members confirmed to debut at the end of the show’s run. Now, they are back with a pre-debut mixtape (in the form of a mini-album) titled as Mixtape and features the main track, Grr (Law of Total Madness).

If we want to talk intensity, Stray Kids is probably the group to talk about. From the very start, there is no holding back. Instead, the group just launches right into there. The song seems to be a mixture of rock and EDM, with elements poking out at you during certain moments throughout the song. You could say that the combination turns it into a mess but given their past track, it is clear that it was intentional and definitely adds to their portfolio. It does lack something that could have made the track more catchy, in my point of view. Maybe a chorus because I felt this song’s chorus didn’t have much of a presence due to the song’s style and rap-dominance. But it is still decent to listen to. Once again, the vocals are overshadowed by the raps. So while this is just a pre-debut, I am hoping to hear a few tracks that highlight the vocal capabilities of the group in the future.

The music video is essentially the performance of this song, throwing in some closeup shots of the member. Everything felt fitting for this music video, from the shaky camera work to the industrial background. So there isn’t much else to talk about.

But the key part of the video is definitely the dance performance. That level of intensity that you could hear from the song is seen throughout the performance. In my previous review for the group, I commented on their potential and this performance just cements that. I like the ‘running towards the camera’ during the chorus and the second verse rap where some of the members are lying on the ground (at 1:30) is pretty unique.

Song – 8/10
Music Video – 7/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 7.9/10

Another song that I missed. JYP Entertainment jumped back onto the reality TV show bandwagon for their next boy group. STRAY KIDS is currently a show broadcasting in South Korea with the sole purpose of selecting members of a future boy group to debut next year. To promote the participants and show, the trainees released Hellevator, the focus of today’s review.

The first part of the track reminded me of Rhianna and Eminem’s Love The Way You Lie, which was one of the songs that got stuck in my head through my early teenage years. The way the vocals were set up reminded me eerily of the way Rhianna sang her song and the way the raps began reminded me of how Eminem rapped in the said song. Hellevator’s main attraction was the raps. There is no doubting that. And I thought the raps were really well done. They were rough and tough, much like the EDM drop that the song featured. The vocals, on the other hand, didn’t seem to connect well with that side of the song. What also yelled out to me was the intensity of the track, which basically grew larger as the song went on. It was there from the start but I think the chorus kicked it up a notch. Overall, it is a great pre-release, in my opinion.

I like the video. Ther post-apocalyptic vibes were very cool and the sets portrayed that very well. There was a small plotline in the video but for the amount of time it received, it felt unnecessary in the end. I am not going to make a summary of what I thought was going on in the video because I had no idea what was going on. But after some searching, I thought this site pretty much explained in a more cohesive manner than what I would have done. To read the synopsis, click here (3rd paragraph).

The choreography performed was really cool, as well. It seems to make their future releases look promising with such epic choreography.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Performance – 9/10
Overall Rating – 8.5/10